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butterflies in our garden! (with updates)

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Euptoieta claudia - Variegated Fritillary

last year I watched one develop a chrysalis https://permies.com/t/285614/Euptoieta-claudia-Variegated-Fritillary-caterpillar

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"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

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posted 2 weeks ago

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"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

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posted 2 weeks ago

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some clearer photos of a pipevine swallowtail....the blue green barely shows in the sunlight.

a 'painted lady' or ?
I could not get a picture of wing spread.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_cardui

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"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

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posted 2 weeks ago

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Yesterday afternoon for a half hour or so that we noticed....not sure where they ended up but courtship was all around the tithonia.
The male hovering closely as the female sipped nectar.....he was somewhat smaller even though that's not apparent in my photos.

I got several videos but have not used my youtube account in so long I need to dig out a password.
They were quite entertaining for as long as we could take the heat😊

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"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3959

posted 2 weeks ago

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please let me know if I've misidentified any butterflies in this thread😊

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3959

posted 1 week ago

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finally caught a painted lady with open wings.

fewer butterflies and more bumblebees on the tithonia yesterday and today.

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"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Jen Fulkerson

gardener

Posts: 2104

Location: N. California

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posted 1 week ago

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I'm so glad this post resurfaced, thank you very much for sharing your beautiful garden and the abundance of butterflies. I'm a little envious. I have lots of life in my gardens, but almost never see butterflies lots of cabbage moths that I used to enjoy until I realized what they are. Maybe because I live between a walnut orchard and a almond orchard. Unfortunately they drive by in their hazmat suit and spray ?
I enjoyed your photos and videos thanks.

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln

Judith Browning

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Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

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posted 1 week ago

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thank you Jen!
The tithonia (mexican sunflower), is the big attraction here and then coming in second for attracting pollinators and butterflies is my bright lights cosmos, oranges and yellows and big tall plants....both flower for a long time, even better if I dead head and they don't mind the heat. This year I am watering some of them.

I have a lot of the cosmos seed and could send you some?
The tithonia seed I'm having to share with the goldfinches and my share is quite small🫤

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3959

posted 1 week ago

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Pipevines daily and then a few others randomly...the giant swallowtail was back yesterday but today it's the black swallowtail...and some bumblebees.
The butterflies don't seem to chase away the bumblebees but they do not share flowers and the bees are the first to leave.

pipevines are so fluttery it's hard to get a clear photo and their wings seem to wear out fast!

I've corrected what I had labeled as female black swallowtail to male.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_polyxenes

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"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3959

posted 6 days ago

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an afternoon with fritillaries here...last year we saw a gulf fritillary also, none so far this summer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_spangled_fritillary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euptoieta_claudia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_fritillary

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"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Jen Fulkerson

gardener

Posts: 2104

Location: N. California

1103

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posted 3 days ago

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Thanks so much Judith. Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. It's been a very long week.
We could trade seeds. I'm lousy at saving seeds, each year I say I'm saving seeds, but rarely manage it. I just added pictures of the flowers I have saved seeds for this year in the native and other post titled more flowers. I would be happy to send you some. The cosmos I grew this year are mostly hybrid, so the seeds will not be like the original.
I had a moth, or butterfly in my garden the other day, and I tried to take a picture of it. It made me appreciate this post even more! I have no idea how you were able to capture so many beautiful butterflies. I knew it wasn't easy, but I didn't realize it was almost impossible, for me anyway.
I have tried twice to grow the Mexican Sunflower ( I'm blanking on the actual name, sorry) One time indoors, and once direct sow. I was not successful. Next year I'm definitely going to try harder.
Thanks again for all the amazing pictures. I enjoyed the YouTube videos too.

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln

Judith Browning

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3959

posted 3 days ago

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Jen, your flowers are inspirational!
If you save calendula seed and nasturtium seed a few would be great but not necessary.
Those two flowers are ones I love and keep trying and never have much success.
When I send the cosmos seed I can add a bit ot tithonia and anything else you might like from my list ~~a few posts back.~~in my other thread...link to that post
https://permies.com/t/160/273988/Judith-garden-plans-records-results#3843321

Just PM an address.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Joao Winckler

master pollinator

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Location: UK

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posted 2 days ago

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The host plant connection always catches me off guard. Found out I had pipevine swallowtails in my garden and had no idea there was aristolochia growing near the fence line until I went looking for what was bringing them in.

Leaftide - garden planner w/ 876 plant types. Need permaculture testers for fruit trees & perennials. Free Pro month for detailed feedback, even just suggesting plants

Judith Browning

Posts: 10753

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3959

posted 2 days ago

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Joao, that threw me for the longest time also when first trying to ID what were certainly pipevine butterflies here. I knew it grew on the Buffalo River near here and now assume it grows on the creek very near our home. Have not explored enough to find it amongst the ivys, bittersweets and other viney plants.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

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